Scottish Executive

Access to Information

Mr Duncan Hamilton (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-7850 by Sarah Boyack on 26 June 2000, whether it will make representations to Her Majesty’s Government that all published research papers by the Scottish Office and the Scotland Office should be placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.

Mr Tom McCabe: Published Scottish Office research papers are in practice held by the Scottish Executive. I understand that the UK Government has no objection to such papers being placed in the Scottish Parliament’s Reference Centre and many already have been. However, the Executive does not see any need to place all published Scottish Office research papers in the Scottish Parliament’s Reference Centre. Putting together a complete set of all of the research papers which have been published over the years would be a costly and time-consuming exercise and many of these papers would now be of little interest to members. Where a paper in which a member is interested is not available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre, the member can easily obtain a copy from the Scottish Executive, or the Scottish Parliament’s Reference Centre can do so on their behalf.

  We would not anticipate any difficulty in making research published by the Scotland Office freely available to the Scottish Parliament’s Reference Centre.

Agriculture

Cathy Peattie (Falkirk East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish the farm income figures for 2000.

Ross Finnie: The Scottish Executive is today publishing the Scottish farm income figures. The estimated figures show that Total Income from Farming (TIFF) fell by 13% in 2000 to £228 million. The fall in agricultural incomes reflects the lower prices for many agricultural commodities due to the continued strength of the pound during 2000. Average net farm income is estimated to have fallen marginally, with some variation across sectors. Detailed estimates of the outputs, inputs and income of Scottish agriculture at both the aggregate level and by farm type will be published this morning and will be placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre.

Arts

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it is taking to assist Glasgow City Council in safeguarding the future of priceless pieces in their museums and galleries collections.

Mr Sam Galbraith: The National Cultural Strategy recognised the particular position of Glasgow and committed the Executive to working with Glasgow City Council to examine the circumstances of their museums and galleries. As a first step, I had a constructive and positive meeting on 19 January with Bailie Cameron, Convenor of Glasgow’s Cultural and Leisure Services, to discuss the way forward. We have agreed to continue discussions to address the council’s difficulties.

Arts

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any of Glasgow’s museums and galleries can be designated as being of national importance and, if so, whether this would entitle them to receive central funding.

Mr Sam Galbraith: The National Audit of all museums and galleries in Scotland will determine the relative importance of collections. Preparations for the audit are well advanced and I have agreed to give priority to Glasgow’s museums, after our commitment to audit the industrial museums first. We have made available £3 million over the next three years for restructuring the museum sector and access to these funds will take account of the outcome of the National Audit.

Autism

Mrs Margaret Ewing (Moray) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to investigate the use of the drug Secretin for treating sufferers from autism.

Susan Deacon: Within the Scottish Executive Health Department, the Chief Scientist Office (CSO) has responsibility for encouraging and supporting research into health services and patient care within NHSScotland and, as such, is the main departmental funder of NHS-related research. The most recent published results of a scientifically controlled trial on Secretin of which CSO is aware appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine , 9 December 1999, volume 341, number 24. This came to the conclusion that Secretin achieved no significant improvement in various outcome measures as compared to a placebo.

  CSO has no plans to promote or commission research projects on the use of the drug Secretin for treating sufferers from autism, although it would be pleased to consider funding proposals for innovative studies of a sufficiently high standard in relation to the treatment of autism.

Autism

Scott Barrie (Dunfermline West) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the Scottish Society for Autism regarding autistic spectrum disorders.

Malcolm Chisholm: We have had discussion with the Scottish Society for Autism about their proposal to implement recommendation 7 of The same as you? report of the review of services for people with learning disabilities. The society is also a member of the Users’ and Carers’ Reference Group for people with learning disabilities, which continues to meet regularly and which Scottish Executive officials attend.

  The society has also been awarded funding of £209,000 for several projects under the Scottish Executive’s Special Educational Needs Innovation Grants Programme.

Autism

Scott Barrie (Dunfermline West) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the Home Office regarding the development of guidelines for police authorities on dealing with people with autistic spectrum disorders.

Mr Jim Wallace: There have been no discussions between the Executive and the Home Office about this matter. It is for Chief Constables to make local arrangements for the practical care of individuals coming to its attention. Each force will have agreed a course of action or protocol with local hospitals, social services, and possibly other agencies, of which local officers should be aware.

Autism

Scott Barrie (Dunfermline West) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will support the Scottish Society for Autism in developing guidelines for police authorities on dealing with people with autistic spectrum disorders.

Mr Jim Wallace: We are presently considering proposals jointly submitted by the Scottish Society for Autism and the National Autistic Society to take forward the establishment of a national network, as recommended in the review of services for people with learning disabilities. While it will be for the network itself to decide how best to raise awareness and understanding of the needs of people with autistic spectrum disorder, we would expect it will wish to consider existing departmental guidance to the police on how they deal with people with learning disabilities and consult chief constables in the development of further good practice.

Care of the Elderly

Cathy Jamieson (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when the terms of reference of the Care Development Group will be published.

Susan Deacon: The terms of reference of the group were agreed yesterday by the Scottish Cabinet and are as follows:

  "With the objective of ensuring that older people in Scotland have access to high quality and responsive long-term care in the appropriate setting and on a fair and equitable basis:

  to examine existing service provision and to identify gaps, deficiencies and duplication which may require to be addressed;

  to bring forward proposals for the implementation of free personal care for all, along with an analysis of the costs and implications of so doing;

  to provide a clear definition of what is meant by personal care;

  to examine the current deployment of resources from all funding streams for the care of older people and make any recommendations for change that are thought to be necessary;

  to work with the Chief Nursing Officer’s Group to develop a person-centred, holistic needs assessment process;

  to consider the interrelationships with UK matters, notably the tax and social security benefits system and cross border movement;

  to bring forward recommendations, together with costs and possible opportunity costs, of providing sustainable changes which will meet current and projected need and likely demand; and

  to report to the Minister for Health and Community Care by August 2001 with a view to the first stage of implementation beginning in April 2002."

  The group will be chaired by the Deputy Minister for Health and Community Care and full membership of the group will be announced next week.

Cities

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the major review of cities announced by the First Minister on 18 December 2000 will include the city of Inverness.

Peter Peacock: Yes. Further details of how the review will be conducted will be announced shortly.

Economy

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what its estimate is of any net loss to the Scottish economy as a result of tobacco smuggling.

Ms Wendy Alexander: The Scottish Executive has not made an estimate of the effects of tobacco smuggling on the Scottish economy. Tobacco taxation is reserved to Westminster. However, data on the effects at the UK level of tobacco smuggling are available from Customs and Excise. Customs and Excise data show that for 1999 all forms of tobacco smuggling cost the UK Exchequer £2.5 billion in forgone tax revenues.

Environment

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-7986 by Sarah Boyack on 28 June 2000, whether it has now responded to the European Commission White Paper on Environmental Liability and, if so, whether its response accepted the principle of strict liability.

Mr Sam Galbraith: The Scottish Executive contributed to the development of the United Kingdom Government’s response to the European Commission White Paper on Environmental Liability. This was published on the Scottish Executive website on 24 August 2000, and is available at:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library3/environment/UKresponse.asp

  The UK response fully supported the concept of environmental liability, and the need to ensure that those who cause damage to the environment should be made to pay for putting it right.

Freedom of Information

Mrs Mary Mulligan (Linlithgow) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it plans to set up its freedom of information working group.

Mr Jim Wallace: I can announce today the establishment of an Interdepartmental Working Group on Freedom of Information. This fulfils a commitment made in the Executive’s consultation document on freedom of information, An Open Scotland . The group’s first meeting will be held in early February. The group will report to me and has been asked to ensure that all necessary measures are put in place to enable the Scottish freedom of information legislation to be implemented smoothly and consistently across the Scottish public sector.

  The group is to be chaired by a senior official of the Scottish Executive. It will include representatives of the Scottish Executive Departments, Agencies and NDPBs, the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body, COSLA, the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland, the NHS in Scotland and the higher education sector.

  I have made available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre details of the working group’s terms of reference and membership.

Health

Dorothy-Grace Elder (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it has taken to monitor whether there is age discrimination in the NHS.

Susan Deacon: A range of mechanisms exists for monitoring the quality of care which the NHS in Scotland provides for older patients. This includes the work of the Scottish Health Advisory Service, regular meetings with bodies such as Age Concern and the Scottish Branch of the British Geriatrics Society. The generic standards developed by the Clinical Standards Board for Scotland are another valuable way of monitoring attitudes to older patients, and reviews of standards for specific services, such as for those recovering in hospital after a heart attack, will also check for evidence of age discrimination. The Chief Medical Officer will also, at my request, be leading an expert group to address the care of older people across Scotland and to look at how their journey through the health care system can be improved.

Health

Mr Lloyd Quinan (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many prescriptions were issued in Scotland in each year from 1995 to date.

Susan Deacon: The number of prescription items supplied by community pharmacists from 1 April 1994 to 31 March 2000 is shown in the table:

  Number of Prescription Items Dispensed from 1994-95 to 1999-2000

  


Financial Year 
  

Prescription Items
Dispensed
(000) 
  

Stock Orders*
Dispensed
(000) 
  

Total Number of
Items Dispensed
(000) 
  



1994-95 
  

51,780 
  

38 
  

51,818 
  



1995-96 
  

53,225 
  

39 
  

53,264 
  



1996-97 
  

54,948 
  

38 
  

54,986 
  



1997-98 
  

57,154 
  

39 
  

57,193 
  



1998-99 
  

58,757 
  

40 
  

58,797 
  



1999-2000 
  

60,868 
  

42 
  

60,910 
  



  * Stock Orders are items dispensed by community pharmacists for use by GPs for the immediate treatment of their patients.

Health

Mr Lloyd Quinan (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the total cost was of administering the prescription service in Scotland in each year from 1995 to date.

Susan Deacon: The costs incurred by the Common Services Agency (CSA) in processing prescription forms received from community pharmacists are shown in the table:

  CSA Prescription Processing Costs from 1994-95 to 1999-2000

  


Year 
  

Costs (£000)




1994-95 
  

8,196 
  



1995-96 
  

7,788 
  



1996-97 
  

8,222 
  



1997-98 
  

7,252 
  



1998-99 
  

7,252 
  



1999-2000 
  

8,484* 
  



  * Includes £1.12 million for the supply and distribution of prescription forms. Responsibility for prescription form administration was passed to the CSA from the Scottish Executive in 1999-2000.

Health

George Lyon (Argyll and Bute) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how the Scottish Health Plan addresses the needs of Argyll and Clyde Trust Board, especially with regard to local accountability in the NHS in rural areas.

George Lyon (Argyll and Bute) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how it will involve local communities in the decision-making process of health boards in rural areas.

George Lyon (Argyll and Bute) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how small island communities such as Tiree and Islay will have the same ability to be involved in the decision-making process of health boards as larger, mainland communities such as Glasgow or Paisley.

Susan Deacon: Our National Health: A plan for action; a plan for change sets out a range of measures to improve accountability and increase patient involvement in NHSScotland. As stated in the plan, detailed change plans will be published in spring this year to take forward the implementation of these measures.

Health

Ms Margo MacDonald (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive which Chinese medicines may be prescribed under the NHS as part of alternative therapy treatments.

Susan Deacon: The safety of medicines is a reserved matter. The Medicines Control Agency (MCA) is responsible for monitoring the safety of medicines over the whole of the UK. From time to time it may direct that a specific medicine may not be prescribed, and such a direction would apply both to the NHS and private practitioners.

  It is open to a GP or hospital clinician to refer a patient for any alternative therapy, which might include the administration of medicines. The GP or hospital clinician would require to be satisfied of the value of the treatment, the competence of the practitioner and the safety of the medicine, and would remain responsible for the patient’s medical care.

Health

Ms Margo MacDonald (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive which alternative therapies are offered as part of NHS provision in Scotland.

Susan Deacon: This information is not held centrally. We know that the therapies most commonly offered within the NHS are acupuncture, homeopathy, osteopathy and chiropractice, but it is open to a GP or hospital clinician to refer a patient for any alternative therapy. The GP or hospital clinician would require to be satisfied of the value of the treatment and the competence of the practitioner, and would remain responsible for the patient’s medical care. Some GPs and other medical professionals themselves are also qualified to offer particular alternative therapies. Whether the costs of alternative therapies are met by the patient or the NHS would be for the health board to decide. It is also open to health boards to arrange for the provision of alternative therapies, but that would be a decision for the board based on its assessment of local needs.

Hedges

Scott Barrie (Dunfermline West) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has reached its conclusions on the response to last year’s consultation exercise on the extent of problems caused by high hedges in Scotland.

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-10038 by Mr Jim Wallace on 5 October 2000, whether it will make an announcement this year on the outcome of the evaluation of responses to the consultation paper issued on 12 January 2000 regarding high hedges.

Mr Jim Wallace: In response to the consultation paper published last year, we received 90 formal responses. At the same time the Executive also received over 120 letters from members of the public, many of whom went to great lengths to describe the difficulties they were experiencing as a result of high boundary hedges. We consider that though the experience of such problems is not so widespread in Scotland as south of the border, the suffering in individual cases is just as acute.

  We have accordingly decided in principle that a statutory remedy of last resort is required, involving complaints to the local authority and enforcement action in appropriate cases, where other avenues have been exhausted. No commitment can be given at this stage as to when legislation can be brought forward.

Hepatitis

Ms Margo MacDonald (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people in each health board area are currently diagnosed with hepatitis C and how many of these are currently receiving anti-retroviral treatment.

Malcolm Chisholm: The following table, provided by the Scottish Centre for Infection and Environmental Health (SCIEH), sets out confirmed cases of hepatitis C, by health board, to the end of 1999.

  


Health Board 
  

Numbers 
  



Argyll & Clyde 
  

601 
  



Ayrshire & Arran 
  

384 
  



Borders 
  

52 
  



Dumfries & Galloway 
  

147 
  



Fife 
  

254 
  



Forth Valley 
  

410 
  



Grampian 
  

1,126 
  



Greater Glasgow 
  

3,712 
  



Highland 
  

198 
  



Lanarkshire 
  

561 
  



Lothian 
  

1,730 
  



Orkney 
  

8 
  



Shetland 
  

15 
  



Tayside 
  

786 
  



Western Isles 
  

3 
  



Total 
  

9,987 
  



  Information on the number of these cases who were receiving treatment is not held centrally.

Lip Reading

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive further to the answer to question S1W-4682 by Iain Gray on 25 April 2000, what plans it has to (a) collate information about local authority funding for the training of (i) lip-readers and (ii) teachers of lip-reading and (b) provide for the funding of such training in the future.

Malcolm Chisholm: Iain Gray’s response on 25 April 2000 to Mr Duncan Hamilton informed him that no funding would be available from the Scottish Executive in the years 1999-2000 and 2000-01 to train (a) lip-readers and (b) teachers of lip-reading. The Scottish Executive did not know what funding was available for this purpose from local authorities or health boards as this information is not collected.

  Officials have now met with the Scottish Course to Train Tutors in Lip-reading based at Donaldson’s College, Edinburgh to explore the possibility of funding. Section 9 Grant under the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 has now been awarded. This pump priming grant will provide a basis to extend local services and develop the links between audiology clinics and further and adult education provision.

Listed Buildings

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many listed buildings were demolished in 1999.

Allan Wilson: I have asked Graeme Munro, Director and Chief Executive of Historic Scotland to respond. His response is as follows:

  The number of listed building consent applications involving demolition, which were notified to Scottish Ministers by planning authorities during 1999, under the requirements of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997, and for which consent was granted, was 37.

  Whether all the works for which consent was granted were carried out during 1999, or subsequently, is not known.

Listed Buildings

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether present statutory powers for safeguarding listed buildings are adequate and enable the aims of all relevant legislation to be met.

Mr Sam Galbraith: The current legislation provides a wide range of statutory powers to help safeguard listed buildings. Many of these powers are for local authorities to use in relation to buildings in their areas. Generally, these powers appear to be adequate, though, as with any other legislation, they are kept under review.

Listed Buildings

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive who nominates Scottish buildings for World Heritage Site status and who advises this person or body.

Allan Wilson: I have asked Graeme Munro, Director and Chief Executive of Historic Scotland to respond. His response is as follows:

  The World Heritage Committee of UNESCO determines whether sites should be inscribed on the World Heritage List. Sites must be nominated by national governments.

  Scottish Ministers nominate Scottish sites for inscription drawing from the UK Tentative List which was published in 1999, following public consultation. For cultural sites they are advised by Historic Scotland, which is the relevant agency within the Scottish Executive.

  Historic Scotland is responsible for the preparation of the detailed submission for any Scottish cultural site which is nominated. The case is then assessed by independent experts appointed by the World Heritage Committee.

Listed Buildings

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what funds were allocated for listed building repairs in 1999.

Allan Wilson: I have asked Graeme Munro, Director and Chief Executive of Historic Scotland to respond. His response is as follows:

  I have been asked by the minister to respond. In 1999-2000, Historic Scotland allocated £11.45 million to assist owners with the cost of repairing buildings of special architectural or historic interest and for the repair of buildings which make an important contribution to the appearance or character of conservation areas classified as outstanding.

Listed Buildings

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many applications for grant aid for listed building repairs were received in 1999; how many grants were approved, and how much was spent on such grants.

Allan Wilson: I have asked Graeme Munro, Director and Chief Executive of Historic Scotland to respond. His response is as follows:

  In 1999-2000, Historic Scotland received 57 applications from owners for grants to assist with the cost of repairing buildings of special architectural or historic interest, and for the repair of buildings making an important contribution to the appearance or character of conservation areas classified as outstanding; 113 awards of grant were made during the year; expenditure by way of grants disbursed amounted to £11,401,241. As applications can take several months to assess and process, and as grants tend to be paid out over more than one year, there is no direct correlation between applications received, grants awarded or money spent on grants in any given financial year.

Ministerial Correspondence

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when the Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning will reply to the letter dated 9 December 2000 from Mr W.H. Gray of Dunipace, Denny.

Ms Wendy Alexander: A reply was issued to Mr W. H. Gray on 18 January 2001.

NHS Staff

Mr Keith Raffan (Mid Scotland and Fife) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many radiotherapists there currently are per head of population and how this compares with the equivalent figure in each of the past two years.

Susan Deacon: The number and Whole Time Equivalent (WTE) of consultants in clinical oncology (radiotherapy) and their rate per head of population for the latest three years data available is shown in the table:

  


Headcount 
  

1997 
  

1998 
  

1999 
  



Number of consultants 
  

34 
  

38 
  

40 
  



Consultants per million population 
  

6.6 
  

7.4 
  

7.8 
  



Whole Time Equivalent 
  



WTE consultants 
  

31.8 
  

34.5 
  

36.3 
  



WTE per million population 
  

6.2 
  

6.7 
  

7.1 
  



  This information, obtained from the Medical and Dental Census, ISD Scotland, should be read in conjunction with the notes below.

  Following a review of the position with representatives of the specialty the establishment of training posts for clinical oncology at Specialist Registrar level was increased by 7 in March 2000, which will allow an increased growth in consultant numbers in the future.

  Notes:

  1. Rates per population are based on population estimates at mid-June.

  2. Staff numbers were taken as at 30 September.

  3. WTE is calculated by dividing the number of contracted hours/sessions by the normal (conditioned) hours for the group of staff.

NHS Staff

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how it will encourage any highly trained professional staff who have left the NHSiS to return to work there.

Susan Deacon: The Scottish Executive, via the Scottish Council for Postgraduate Medical and Dental Education (SCPMDE), provides funding for retainer schemes for both GPs and hospital doctors. These schemes assist in retaining doctors who are unable to work full time for whatever reason and in keeping them in touch with developments in clinical practice. SCPMDE also facilitate return to work courses for dentists and refresher courses for doctors who have taken career breaks in order to encourage them to return to the NHS.

  Our National Health: A plan for action, a plan for change made clear that all NHS employers will be required to meet or exceed best practice guidance on family-friendly policies as part of the new Staff Governance Standard. This will address flexible working, childcare and career breaks.

Official Visits

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many official visits the First Minister has undertaken in (a) Aberdeen and (b) the North East of Scotland parliamentary region since his appointment and when he next intends to visit these locations.

Henry McLeish: I will be visiting Aberdeen on 1 and 2 February.

Roads

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it regards the current tendering process for term contracts for the management and maintenance of trunk roads as a re-tendering process and, if so, what the reasons are for regarding the process in this way.

Sarah Boyack: Most, although not all, of the work covered by the current tendering process is re-tendered.

  Until 1996 the majority of maintenance operations on trunk roads were managed and undertaken by local authorities. In 1995 competitions were held leading to the award of contracts in 1996 for three Operating Companies responsible for this work across the Central Belt of Scotland and five Managing Agents covering the management of the network over the rest of the country. The Managing Agent contracts were re-tendered in 1998 to provide this service over the period 1999-2001.

Roads

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much financial assistance was made available in each of the last three years for road improvements in (a) Aberdeen, (b) Dundee, (c) Edinburgh, (d) Glasgow and (e) each Scottish parliamentary region and what percentage of the total transport budget for the relevant year each of these figures represents.

Sarah Boyack: Central government funding for expenditure on local roads forms part of the annual local government settlement. It is for each local authority to decide how much to allocate to local roads.

  Spending on motorway and trunk road schemes is recorded by individual project and by network management area, not by city or council boundaries. Similarly, data is not held centrally on roads budgets and expenditure by parliamentary region.

Scottish Executive Recruitment

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it follows any guidelines for contracting recruitment agencies and what factors, other than cost, are considered in such decisions.

Angus MacKay: The Scottish Executive has contractual arrangements in place with recruitment agencies for a range of search and selection services. Working with these agencies gives the Executive flexibility in terms of capacity and provides expertise and knowledge of recruitment markets and practices. All contracts are subject to competition and detailed evaluation of the proposals to provide the particular service. All proposals are evaluated against pre-set criteria. These include assessment of the companies’:

  understanding of the statement of requirement;

  management structure;

  capacity;

  technical capability;

  quality;

  responsiveness, and

  references.

Scottish Qualifications Authority

Karen Gillon (Clydesdale) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when the Minister for Education, Europe and External Affairs will make his first report to the Parliament on the Scottish Qualifications Authority’s progress in delivering the Diet of examinations for 2001.

Mr Jack McConnell: I have today written to the Convenor of the Education, Culture and Sport Committee enclosing the Executive’s first report on progress towards implementing the actions agreed following the publication of the Deloitte Touche report on 3 November 2000. Copies have also been placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. no. 11055).

Sexual Health

Ms Margo MacDonald (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has made any assessment of the results of the pilot studies into sexual health in England, specifically the results of chlamydia testing in family planning clinics and GP surgeries, and whether it has made any plans to conduct similar studies in Scotland.

Susan Deacon: The chlamydia screening pilot project in England concluded in September 2000 but it is too early to draw firm conclusions. The final report on the pilot will be available in spring 2001 and the National Screening Committee (for the UK) will consider its conclusions at that time.

  The national health demonstration project Healthy Respect in Lothian will pilot chlamydia testing in a range of settings to help achieve its headline target to increase the reported prevalence of chlamydia amongst young people by 2003, followed by a 50% decrease by 2010.

Social Inclusion

Patricia Ferguson (Glasgow Maryhill) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive who will be involved in producing the Neighbourhood Renewal Statement for Scotland and whether this will be used to measure the effectiveness of the ways in which the Better Neighbourhood Services Fund is utilised in different local authority areas.

Jackie Baillie: The Neighbourhood Renewal Statement will be produced by the Scottish Executive in conjunction with key stakeholders. The statement will include issues relating to service delivery but separate measures will be developed to monitor and evaluate outcomes from pathfinders of the Better Neighbourhood Services Fund.

Telecommunications

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what analysis it has made of the impact on the economy of bundle services.

Ms Wendy Alexander: The Scottish Executive has no function in relation to the condition inserted in BT’s licence that mandates Local Loop Unbundling.

Time

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-11591 by Mr Jim Wallace on 12 December 2000, what assessment it has made of the impact in Scotland of any proposed introduction across the United Kingdom of British Energy Saving Time.

Mr Jim Wallace: The Executive has made no such assessment, as there are no plans to introduce British Energy Saving Time. The fact that there are no such plans being considered was made clear by Mr Brian Wilson MP, Minister of State at the Scotland Office, in an announcement on 20 November 2000.

Traffic

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the communications received from Aberdeen City Council since 1 January 2001 in connection with current traffic problems in Aberdeen, specifying the date each such communication was sent.

Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Executive received communications from Aberdeen City Council on this issue on the 3 and 15 January.

Transport

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the latest estimate is of (a) the number of motor vehicles in Scotland and (b) the number of these which presently run on liquid petroleum gas.

Sarah Boyack: At 31 December 1999, the latest date for which information is available, there were 2,131,000 motor vehicles licensed in Scotland. Information on the number of motor vehicles running on liquefied petroleum gas is not held centrally.

Transport

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many times Aberdeen City Council have requested meetings with the Minister for Transport since 1 January 2001, specifying the date of each such request.

Sarah Boyack: I received a request from Aberdeen City Council on 15 January to attend the public meeting on traffic congestion in the Bridge of Don area planned for 18 January.

Transport

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Minister for Transport intends to visit Aberdeen to observe recent traffic problems; if so, when and with whom she intends to meet while in the city.

Sarah Boyack: I have a commitment to visit Aberdeen to meet representatives of the North East Scotland Economic Development Partnership to discuss further their proposed Modern Transport System for the city and its hinterland. That meeting will take place as soon as is mutually convenient.

Water Authorities

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the water authorities have any plans to announce any redundancies or voluntary severance scheme; if so, whether it was consulted on any such proposals and, if so, when; when any such announcement will be made, and how many jobs will be involved.

Mr Sam Galbraith: This is a matter for the water authorities.